extract gold. Smith soon hired himself out to various mines, and inaugurated measures for working and developing promising gold lodes in Gilpin County. In 1863, Smith and Chaffee sold their mill. They purchased and developed the Bobtail Mine near Black Hawk; the Gregory Mine in Teller County; and other mines. They held the properties for about a year before selling to a Rhode Island mining consortium (retaining a small interest). For many years, the Bobtail remained one of the greatest gold producers in Colorado. Late in 1863, Smith's third child, Nellie, was born. However, the move to Colorado proved to be a strain on the Smith marriage. Eben and Caroline Smith divorced in 1864. Caroline retained custody of the children and settled in Iowa. When Chaffee established the First National Bank of Denver in 1865, Smith was a co-investor in the bank and named president. In 1866, Smith was elected to the Colorado state legislature from Gilpin county. He served one term. That same year, he married Emily Rundel of Rochester, New York. Mining operations Smith continued mining in Gilpin and Teller counties. Chaffee and Smith organized a group investors in 1867, purchased a mine and formed the Georgetown Silver Smelting Company. Smith invested in a large number of mines, building his wealth. Eben and Emily Smith's first child, Kate May, was born in 1867. But the child died at age thirteen months. In 1876, he moved from Denver to Boulder, Colorado. Eben and Emily's second child, Cora Isabel, was born in 1870, followed by son Frank in 1871. (Smith's son, Lemuel, joined his father out West in 1880.) Chaffee purchased the Caribou Mine in 1876. Once the most famous mine in Colorado, it had been sold to Dutch investors in 1873. But with the mine apparently played out and the Dutch unable to invest enough capital to discover new veins in the mine, Chaffee purchased the property with David Moffat and others. Smith was installed as manager and superintendent of the mine, positions he held until April 23, 1879. On June 25, 1880, the Caribou was consolidated with several other mines. Chaffee, Smith and others formed the Caribou Consolidated Mining Company; Smith was the companies superintendent and general manager until 1881. The Caribou claim quickly began producing large quantities of silver again, and Smith made another fortune. In 1878, Smith used his mining profits to partner with Horace Tabor,